1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fat and oil composition which is suitably used in chocolates. When added to chocolates, the fat and oil composition of the present invention can impart thereto characteristics which have never been hitherto achieved.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Chocolates are broadly classified into tempered chocolates and nontempered ones depending on the type of fat contained therein. It is relatively easy to produce nontempered chocolates having excellent properties including texture and meltability in mouth. This is because the major portion of fats contained in these nontempered chocolates are hardened vegetable fats and fats obtained by fractionating them and the physical properties (for example, hardness) of these fats can be controlled depending on the degree of hardening of fractionation, which makes it possible to give products of relatively arbitrarily controlled properties. In tempered chocolates, on the other hand, cacao butter and fats having a glyceride structure similar to that of cacao butter are used. These fats are hard at a low temperature since they have a high solid fat content (for example, 70% or above at 10.degree. to 20.degree. C.). This fat content rapidly falls at a temperature of 25.degree. C. or above. Although the above-mentioned properties of these fats make them suitable for chocolates, they might restrict the physical properties of chocolates. There has been proposed the use of a combination of a fat having a low melting point (i.e. 25.degree. C. or below) or a triunsaturated glyceride with a 2-unsaturated-1,3-saturated triglyceride in order to soften a chocolate to be used for coating. It seems that the aimed effects can be achieved thereby. However the above proposal seemingly insists upon the maintenance of the heat resistance of conventional chocolates.
There has been further known to add milk fat in chocolates. However this means aims not at positively improving the physical properties of chocolates but at intensifying the milk flavor thereof.
With the recent diversification in consumers' demands for chocolates, it has been desired to produce tempered chocolates of improved physical properties, compared with conventional ones, including softness and meltability in mouth and blooming resistance, similar to nontempered ones.